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A Way to Overcome Social Anxiety

We fear being negatively judged and rejected by our peers. The dread of standing before a group and talking is top of the anxiety list and surveys show that we fear it more than being attacked by a shark. Social anxiety is the most common psychological problem in the U.S. and affects 40 million adults, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. At a primal level, we fear rejection because in our primitive past, being thrown out by the group was a death sentence. Early humans survived by their ability to collaborate. Being rejected by the social group meant fending for yourself and almost certain death. We are inhibited by anything that threatens our status in our social group.

Creep Karaoke Kiosk

An artwork called Creep Karaoke Kiosk by Caroline Lake confronted these fears. It was placed in The Street at Central St Martins College of Art in London. Passers-by were invited to enter a large wooden box. Once inside they wore headphones playing the Radiohead song Creep while they sang the lyrics into a microphone that projected their voices via loudspeakers into the street.

Inside the dark box, wearing headphones, the participants were immediately in a private space, cut off, anonymous and released of inhibitions. No longer self-conscious, they sang freely. The result was powerful. People emerged from Creep Karaoke Kiosk laughing and giggling; their sense of release from inhibition was cathartic. A participant responded afterwards, ‘I felt like I was a teenager again in my bedroom.’ Some people sang badly out of tune, some thoughtfully, others angelically. Passers-by were intrigued by the carefree singing, stopped and listened with fascination. Lake explained, ‘It’s a personal song in an impersonal space.’ By having their identities concealed, participants felt liberated; they became unself-conscious in a public space. Lake produced a brilliant and emotionally charged installation.

Lake recently graduated in Fine Art from Central St Martins College. She is a single mother with two young children and admits she had ‘No intention of doing a degree,’ because she was ‘stuck in catering.’ She took a few evening classes in art. Then her thirteen-year-old son suggested she took art more seriously, so she attended an art foundation course at an adult education centre in London called City Lit. It was a big step to give up her job but she felt it was the right decision because University ‘opened up a lot more opportunities for me.’ Her recent degree show was a great success with international collectors buying her work.

I agree. Don't people spend enough time at home, online in their own personal "box"? That's why we had so much fun playing with a tape recorder when we were young. Singing to an audience you can't even see isn't the same as practicing two-way communication. I read this hoping to learn something useful and share it, but didn't, so I'm not.

Two years ago I found out there are groups that can help, so I joined one and have seen benefits. We help and mentor each other with learning and practicing good communication, public speaking, providing useful feedback, as well as learning leadership and organization skills. I learned that when hiring, some employers have said they think the program is so beneficial that they will consider hiring current or former program members over non members.

We already know people are less inhibited when they can be anonymous. Look at YouTube comments. Anonymity can also bring out the worst in people, but it's somewhat safer to have them posting online, provided those being commented on can deal with the negative as well as positive.

Most of us can't live in a box, so we need a chance to learn communication and interaction skills that can be applied in real life, even more so in this internet age.

People who interacted with the artwork overcame their social inhibitions. They found themselves singing loudly in a completely liberated way when surrounded by hundreds of people. They found it released their anxieties. That was not the point though. It was an artwork. It exists for no purpose or function. That is what is so wonderful about it.

People who interacted with the artwork overcame their social inhibitions. They found themselves singing loudly in a completely liberated way when surrounded by hundreds of people. They found it released their anxieties. That was not the point though. It was an artwork. It exists for no purpose or function. That is what is so wonderful about it.

Art sets you free. That's kinda the point. Art is an outlet for people to be entirely their own and I think it's a fantastic thing that being anonymous can set people free the way it does. It amazes me what people do when no one can see their face. It almost seems like every other person suffers from social anxiety, and that to me is really sad.

Yes, I think almost everyone feels under pressure to behave in certain ways in public. It is difficult for me to convey in the article the sense of release that the people felt after they had taken part in the artwork, but it was astonishing to see.